A/N Hi all, so here is Chapter 3. I hope you like it. The story is finally starting to pick up speed and I already have the next few chapters mentally prepared in my head, I just have to physically get them down on paper. I have a few legal assignments that need completing, and as always with anything related to law, there is an absolute shit tonne of reading to go with it so it might delay me a few days in getting the next chapter written and posted. I assure you though that I will have both chapter four's for this fan fic and my other fan fic 'Broken" posted by the end of this coming week.

I apologise for any mistakes, it's a longer chapter and I've been working on it for most of the day and even though I have spent the last two hours trying to edit- I feel like my brain is a bit fuzzy and therefore I know that there will be some mistakes that I haven't picked up on. Hopefully it's nothing too major.

As always to those who reviewed, thanks so much it's much appreciated keep them coming. To all those reading/following thank you as well, all you guys keep me motivated to continue with this story. I hope you guys are still enjoying Rescue. I'm pretty excited for you guys to read what I have planned. As always though, any suggestions of particular things you guys want to see happen are much appreciated and will most definitely be considered as I would love to write for your guys needs and wants, whilst still sticking in the confines of my planned story.

To my Australian readers who are lucky enough to have the long weekend, I hope you guys are enjoying and soaking up as much sun as possible. A big happy 4th of July to my American friends as well.

Much love to you all and until next time,

Mrosse38

"Seriously Nichols, what's her deal? She goes from warm and friendly to cold as ice in like 1.5 seconds. I didn't realise that bringing up her family would cause her to react like that. I mean who would? Do you think should I call her and apologise? She seemed really fucking pissed," Alex huffs as she carries a box marked 'kitchen' up the stairs of her new apartment. It had been almost a week since her day of house hunting with Piper and, even though she was normally good at reading people, she still couldn't work out the blonde.

"Relax Vause, Piper was just being dramatic. She's not exactly into the whole sharing your life story thing."

Alex shakes her head. "God I was so stupid, I should have just kept my mouth shut. She probably hates me."

"Piper doesn't hate you Alex. If anything I reckon she actually has a thing for you, which honestly is totally weird because I've NEVER seen Piper like someone, well ever."

"Wait, you think Piper likes me?" Alex asks shocked at the thought. Alex certainly liked Piper, but after the blonde's reaction in the car last week, she was beginning to have her doubts if Piper even liked her as a person, let alone if she had any romantic interest in her.

"Fuck yer she likes you. After she got over her little mood, she wouldn't shut up about you. Kept trying to, not so subtly, ask me all these questions about you. It was fucking hilarious. She went full fucking teenage girl crush on me" Nicky laughs.

"But she seemed so angry at me."

"Look Vause, there's something you gotta understand about Piper. She's a very complicated chick who has some pretty fucked up issues. She puts on this whole tough girl exterior but really, she is just a big softie inside. Don't take what she says to heart, she's an expert in shutting people out and pushing them away. I mean, poor kid has done it her whole life. But trust me when I say this, Piper really does seem to like you and you should give her a chance."

"How do I know we aren't just gonna have another repeat of last week?" Alex asks curiously. She really wanted to give Piper a chance, but she was worried that Piper wasn't so willing to give her one in return.

"You don't and if I'm honest it will probably happen again. God knows how many times she's done the exact same thing to me. But believe me Vause, Piper is so worth it, once you get through all that bullshit there is a heart of fucking gold under there. Piper has always kept herself in her own little personal cage, and you my friend might just have the fucking key."

Alex rolls her eyes at Nicky's corny expression. "What do you suggest then?"

Nicky thinks to herself for second before she smiles widely at Alex, raising her eyebrows questionably. "Have you ever seen a girl's boxing match?"

….

Hundreds of people are crowded into the small hall, each person buzzing with anticipation for the fight they were about to witness. People had been waiting months to finally see the great Piper Chapman take on 'Crazy Eyes' Warren. Stakes were high tonight, with Piper trying to continue her winning streak and Warren looking to have the honour of being the first to defeat her. The odds appeared to be fairly even, with both girls being strong favourites in the lightweight division.

Piper stood facing the large mirror in her changing room, nerves riddling her stomach, as she wraps her hands and wrists with her strapping tape. "I know you are nervous Piper, but just remember to keep your breathing under control. Perfecting your breathing is the first step to winning this fight" Bennett says and he watches Piper from his seat in the corner of the room.

Will controlling my breathing help with the situation with Alex? she thinks.

Piper glances at him in the mirror, meeting his eyes and simply nods her head, taking a deep breath through her nose and exhaling through her mouth loudly in an attempt to calm herself. Hearing the door to her changing room open she turns around to see a bushy-haired Nicky walking in, smiling broadly at her, her hand firmly gripping her girlfriends who follows close behind. "Hey Pipes, I hope you don't mind but Lorna and I brought Alex along with us" Nicky says with a wink, gesturing behind her as Alex walks through the doorway. Piper's eyes shoot wide. It had been over a week since the car incident and Piper had done her best to avoid Alex out of sheer embarrassment. Piper had made a complete idiot of herself in an attempt to push Alex away. It had back fired miserably though as Piper hadn't been able to shake the raven haired beauty from her mind. Fuck she thinks.

Piper shakes her head in an attempt to clear herself of her thoughts "Hey guys" she says with a warm smile as the three girls cross the room, taking a seat in the vacant chairs beside Piper's trainer. "So how's our girl's chances looking Johnny boy?" Nicky asks facing Bennett.

"Really good, I must say. Piper's in quite possibly the best shape she's ever been. The extra training has really been paying off. As long as she can avoid Warren's killer right hook I think she's got a real good chance at winning this" he responds, gesturing towards Piper who is still standing on the opposite side of the room, staring intently at Alex.

Bennett turns back to Nicky and Lorna and they continue to talk, getting lost in their conversation as he begins to explain the rigorous training program Piper has recently been undertaking.

Taking a deep breath for encouragement, Alex stands from her seat and walks towards Piper. "Hey."

"Hey" Piper replies softly, suddenly nervous. She, for the first time ever, felt horrible about the way she had treated Alex. Piper had regretted her words in the car as soon as they had fallen from her lips. She barely knew Alex, yet in their brief conversation with her, she had felt closer to her than she had any other person. Even closer than she felt to Nicky. A few awkward seconds pass as both girls appear to get lost in thought.

"I'm sorry about last week" they both suddenly say in unison before laughing, the tension between them slowly beginning to ease.

"No Alex, it was my fault" Piper says after a second. "You have nothing to be sorry for. You were just trying to be nice and get to know me and I practically bit your head off. I was a complete bitch" she continues, her eyes shifting to the floor.

Alex shakes her head profusely. "Piper, really it's okay. I shouldn't have just decided to ask you a bunch of really personal questions. It's just that you intrigue me so much that I wanted to know everything about you. I was just being nosey when I shouldn't have been, so really it's me who should be sorry."

Shocked, yet delighted by Alex confession, Piper shakes her head. "No really I uh, shouldn't have gone off like that. You were being so sweet. It's just uh, my family is kinda a touchy subject for me and I just hate thinking about them at all. Kinda makes me see red. But of course you didn't know that. I really shouldn't have said what I said and I don't say this often, but I really am sorry" Piper mutters out honestly, her eyes still firmly focused of the floor. Piper hated to admit her feelings but she wanted Alex to know.

"Hey" Alex says reaching out and putting her hands on Piper's shoulders, rubbing them soothingly trying to get Piper's eyes to shift from the floor to hers. "How about we say it was both our faults and call it even? Let's just forget it ever happened?"

Looking up at Alex, Piper nods slowly, a small smile forming on her lips. "I'd really like that," she says in a quiet voice.

"Me too kid," Alex says with a large grin spreading across her face. Eyes locking together, they continue to gaze until they are interrupted by the knocking on the door. "Ms Chapman it's time," the voice announces.

Breaking her eye contact with Alex, she walks over to Bennett, pops her mouthguard in her mouth and allows him to slip her gloves on, tightening them firmly. Looking at him, he gives her a smile and taps her gloves with his fists as a sign of good luck. Piper turns on her heel walking past Nicky and Lorna who are now fully standing. "Kick some arse, P" Nicky says encouragingly, slapping Piper on the back of the shoulder as she passes.

"Good luck, Kid" Alex says hearteningly, causing Piper to stop and turn, giving her a wide smile in return.

Piper walks out the door towards the boxing ring, her companions quickly following, raising her fists in the air as the crowd roars with excitement. She jogs to the ring, walking up the small set of stairs on the side and tucks herself under the ropes, taking her place in the far right corner. She nervously bounces back and forth, throwing a few light punches to get herself pumped, as she awaits on her opponent.

Crazy Eyes makes a similar entrance and stands in her respective corner, glaring at Piper in an effort to shake her. Piper stares back, her nerves vanishing, as she feels the familiar feeling of adrenalin begin to flow through her body. Continuing to stare into Warren's eyes, she begins to prepare herself to mentally get in her 'zone'. Pretend it's him she thinks to herself, imagine it's him at the end of your glove.

The referee calls the girls to the centre of the ring, both touching their gloves together in a sign of good sportsmanship. They each take a step back, eyes firmly fixed on one another as they await for that familiar 'ding' of the bell signalling the start of the match. Piper focuses on her breathing, in and out, in and out, she repeats in her head. She adjusts her stance, gloves raised to shield her face and waits.

Ding…

…..

"To Piper fucking Chapman and her fucking ridiculous 16 strong win streak" Nicky slurs as they all raise their shot classes in celebration and then quickly snap them back, the liquid burning Piper's throat as it slides down.

They had all gone to Red's for celebratory drinks after the fight, which Piper had won with an impressive knock out in only the third round. Alex was seated next to Piper, their outer thighs touching firmly, neither wanting an inch of space between them. Nicky is sat across from them with her arm gently draped over Lorna's small shoulders. "Seriously Pipes, you were fucking awesome" Nicky says as she raises her hand to the waitress, indicating she wanted another round of shots.

Alex nudges Piper with her elbow getting her attention and smiles warmly at her. "You were amazing Piper," she says as she gingerly raises her hand to stroke her cheek, where a purple bruise is beginning to form from a lucky jab that Crazy Eyes had managed to sneak in. Piper's breath catches in her throat, a heart-warming smile spreading across her lips as Alex continues to stare into her eyes. Alex's gaze suddenly shifts from Piper's and she watches on as recognition, and then horror, plague Alex's eyes. "Oh shit, fuck" Alex swears and she hunches down behind Piper in the booth, attempting to hide from the all too familiar brown haired person seated on the other side of the bar.

"What?" Piper asks, craning her neck as she looks around the bar trying to find the source of Alex's sudden change in mood.

"Piper, shit don't look she'll see you" Alex whispers as she grabs a hold of Piper's arm trying to desperately pull the blonde's focus away from her not so subtle canvasing of the bar.

"Who will?" Piper asks confused.

"My ex."

"Wait, Sylvie's here?" Nicky asks cutting in on their conversation.

Alex simply nods, glancing back towards where her ex was seated she notices the chair now empty. Looking to the right, she realises the brown haired woman is now walking in full stride over towards their table. "Oh, shit she's fucking coming over."

"I know you hate the bitch but just play it cool Vause. Red will kick my arse if I let you get into a fight in her bar" Nicky says sternly.

Alex glares at Nicky and then closes her eyes, silently praying that this was all some sort of sick twisted dream. Her thoughts are interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat over to her left. "Hello Alex," the woman says in a pompous tone.

Turing to face the woman Alex composes herself the best she could. "Uh, Sylvie hi….. What are you doing here?"

The woman scoffs. "Oh sorry I didn't realise I had to justify my need to go out with my Michael to you."

Piper watches as Alex jaw tightens. "Michael? So you are still with that scumbag."

Sylvie crosses her arms, a hiss escaping her lips. "Yes, he's here right now, we are ACTUALLY out celebrating our 3 month anniversary" she says with a smirk, clearly loving the fact that she was rubbing her new relationship in her ex's face. "Oh and he's not a scumbag Alex."

"Oh sorry, so sleeping with his employee who is in a relationship with a woman who moved across the country for her, hardly makes him a scumbag? Hm, could of fooled me" Alex spits back, struggling to keep herself composed. Sylvia had broken Alex's heart and she hated the fact that she was now standing here in front of her, and if she's honest Piper, clearly mocking her.

"Oh go fuck yourself Alex, no need for you to be jealous over the fact that I have moved on and you clearly haven't" Sylvie responds, smirking as she glares down towards her ex.

Alex feels like she has been slapped in the face. God she hated Sylvie right now. "I'm not jealous. Besides, I have moved on" she lies before she has a chance to stop herself. Shit, she thinks hoping that Piper doesn't get the wrong idea that she was seeing someone else.

"Oh, really?" Sylvie says still smirking, not actually believing Alex's words. "With who?"

Piper watches at Alex's apprehension, her eyes clearly showing sudden panic as she struggles to come up with an answer, making Sylvie's smirk grow into a disdainful smile. Fuck that bitch for hurting Alex…. Fuck it she thinks before her hand suddenly reaches to gently lace her fingers through one of Alex's hands that lie limply on the table in front of her. Piper gives Alex's hand a firm squeeze as she turns to face her, Alex's eyebrows pulled together in confusion, before widening in realisation of Piper's plan. Turning back to face Sylvie, whose expression has change to one of shock, Piper finds it's her turn to smirk. "She's moved on with me and she's ten times happier than she ever was than when she was with you, you cheating slut. Now how about you fucking leave this bar NOW, before I ask my friends over in security to escort you and your scumbag of a boyfriend out." With that she turns to face Alex, cupping her face in her hands, leans forward and brushes her lips lightly against Alex's before delving into a hot messy kiss. Alex only hesitates for a second in shock, before she returns the kiss with as much force as Piper, opening her mouth as she feels Piper's tongue trace the bottom of her lip seeking entrance. They continue this for a good 20 seconds before Piper pulls away, both her and Alex's cheeks flushed. She looks deep into Alex's bright eyes before turning back around to face a very red faced Sylvia. "Oh and don't even THINK about coming back bitch" she spits.

Sylvia stares at Piper for a second in utter shock, before she turns on her heels and huffs back towards her boyfriend, yanking him up from his seat and stalking towards the exit.

Piper turns back to Alex, who still appears to be in a state of shock. A moment passes before all four girls at the table suddenly burst into uncontrollable laughter. "God…did….you see…her face" Nicky snickers in between laughs.

"That was amazing" Lorna shrieks.

"Bloody hell Piper, a word of warning would of helped" Alex jokes, the deep appreciation and joy clearly evident in her face and goofy smile.

"Sorry" Piper apologises with no sincerity. "She was just pissing me off."

"God, people should piss you off more often" Alex says with a playful wink. "Seriously though Piper, thank you. You really saved my arse back there."

"You're welcome" she replies before leaning towards Alex, bringing her lips to her ear. "I wish I could do it more often" she whispers and then pulls back to look at Alex's face.

Alex gives her a wide smile, her eyes seeming to sparkle as she gazes into Piper's. "Me too kid, me too."